The following patents disclose article carriers for vehicle roofs, which have protective plastic or rubber bumper strips mounted in channels formed in the cross rails of the carriers: Bott U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,760; Bott U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,905; Rasor et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,348; Miller U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,349; Duemmler U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,669; and Bott U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,365.
Except for U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,669, each of the above listed patents disclose plastic or rubber bumper strips which have vertically oriented blunt leading edges extending above the upper surface of the carrier cross rail. The rubber cover strip of U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,669 mounts on top of a flat surface and in a channel, such that its arcuate-shaped top surface ends in feathered edges lying on the flat surface. Each of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,754,905; 4,911,348; 4,911,349; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,365 have their bumper strip front and rear end portions mounted in recesses formed in the cross rails.
Olsen et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,730 discloses a car top luggage carrier having plugs mounted in openings formed in the closure end elements of longitudinal rails, with an annular feathered lip lying on the outer surface of the end elements.